Category Archives: Current Events

It’s no grand surprise:  Jerry Brown will be governor of California, again.  His opponents will tell us to now “hide our wallets,” and I fear this may not be far from the truth.  On the other hand, we saw one of the largest statewide sales tax increases under Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger’s watch.  So if we see some tax cuts under Democrat Brown, then both parties will have gone against their own grains.  We shall see.

Politics continues to be defined by two, and basically only two, labels:  Republican and Democrat.  It seems increasingly difficult for any thinking person to call himself one or the other.  The keyword here, of course, is “thinking,” because non-thinking people can easily consume whatever their party happens to serve them, without asking questions.  I’ve heard it from both sides:  “I’m a Democrat,” or “I vote Republican.”  In these instances, it’s about the label to which these people have adhered throughout their lives, rather than an examination and evaluation of the individual candidate who happens to carry the label.  Partisanship may make voting easier, but it does not necessarily make it smarter.

As I discussed with a friend yesterday, I have voted for a pretty even mix of Republicans and Democrats throughout my relatively short voting history.  I really cannot call myself strictly a Republican or a Democrat, through I certainly have opinions on most issues and definitely lean in one direction on each of them.  Depending on the issue at hand, I’m very conservative, or Republican.  Then, on other issues I consider myself very liberal, or Democrat.  It’s all comes together to create an interesting and ever-evolving identity.  My friend called me the proverbial New England Conservative.  I wonder, perhaps, if this translates to Libertarian.

The House now goes to Republicans, while the Senate maintains control of the Senate.  The continuous call for “change” is rather ironic, because change is inevitable.  Change is going to happen whether it’s wanted or not.  Another election has come and gone, but the game remains the same.

And that’s my opinion.

A lot of young people have been expressing their support for California gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown.  I wonder if property taxes have crossed their minds, and if they’ve ever heard of something called Prop 13.  Somehow I don’t think so. 

Brown opposed the passage of Prop 13 more than 30 years ago when he was then California’s governor.  I fear that if he becomes governor again, he will attempt to circumvent Prop 13, which caps property taxes.  In other words, Brown may very well seek to raise property taxes, possibly via voter referendum.   He has said there will be no new taxes without voter approval.  As such, what if he finds a clever way to get voters to approve a new proposition that somehow reverses or nullifies Prop 13?  He claims he will do no such thing, but I do not trust him.  Read this interview for details.

Generally speaking, I simply cannot figure out why anyone wants to reelect the has-been Brown.  He was already governor of California for two terms, from 1975 to 1983.  Meg Whitman is offering “a new California.”  I have a feeling, however, that we’re going to get an old one.

And that’s my opinion.